*** January 29, 2016 Edition ***
ENG200: Introduction to Poetry (3 credit hours)
Spring 2016
Tuesdays 12:30-3:00pm
QC Complex 2206
Dr. Dan Malachuk
Office: QC Complex 2211 (WIU-QC, 3300 Riverfront Drive, Moline IL 61265)
Contact: 309-762-9481 (x62232), ds-malachuk@wiu.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday 11:30-12:00, Wednesday 11:30-1:30, Thursday 11:30-1:30
Catalog Description for ENG200
(General Education/Humanities) Reading and discussion of poetry from around the world,
introducing students to selected traditions, questions of social justice, and methods of
interpretation. IAI: H3 903.
Course Objectives
This course explores the fundamental elements of poetry with attention to major poems in the
English tradition.
Assignments
Student final grades are determined entirely by their performance on the assignments listed
below. For more details on the criteria for the writing assignments (the Unit A and B papers),
see the “Guide to Writing Successful Papers” below. Details on the criteria for the other
assignments will be provided separately. Unless otherwise noted, all writing assignments should
be double-spaced with 12-point font and submitted in hard copy in class.
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In-Class Funtivities (10%) These ten, fun in-class activities check student understanding
of assigned reading and in-class discussion.
Memorization Poem (10%) Each student will memorize and recite a poem of at least
twelve lines from The New Penguin Book of English Verse. Students are required to
indicate a proposed poem for memorization by a stated deadline. The Memorization
Poem must be different from the Annotation Poem.
Creation Poem (10%) Each student will write a formal poem at least fourteen lines long.
Students are required to provide a proposal for the Creation Poem by a stated deadline.
Annotation Poem (15%) Each student will annotate one poem from The New Penguin
Book of English Verse making use of at least three scholarly sources. The annotations
should be at least 500 words total. Students are required to provide a proposal for the
Annotation Poem by a stated deadline.
Unit A Papers (15%) Each student will write three one-page papers due at intervals
through Unit A. Each paper should include a well-structured analysis of a single poem
supported with MLA-cited evidence from that poem.
Unit B Paper (20%) This five-page five-source argument paper should start with a clear
claim and then provide well-structured analysis of evidence, including five sources from
Unit B. (Additional sources from Unit A are welcome.) In addition to the five pages,
students should add a sixth page titled “Works Cited,” following
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/05/ (and related pages). Students are
required to submit both a draft and a final version by the stated deadlines.
ENG200, Spring 2016, Syllabus – January 29, 2016
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2
Final Exam (20%) The final exam will include questions about the required (non-poetic)
reading in the class, identification of poems or parts of poems assigned from The New
Penguin Book of English Verse, and several essay questions
The Presentation Prize Students who prepare and present a version of any of their
course papers at an instructor-approved event will receive a one-grade boost to their
final grade: e.g., A- to A.
The Draftless Drop Students who do not bring a complete draft to class on the dates
specified will be penalized with a two-grade demotion of their final grade for that paper:
e.g., a final paper that receives an A will be demoted to a B+
The Writing Center
For all assignments, all students are always encouraged to make use of the WIU-QC Writing
Center.
Required Books
These editions include important material not included in other editions; please use the ISBN
numbers to make sure you have purchased the correct editions.
 Keegan, ed., New Penguin Book of English Verse 0140424547
 Oliver, Rules for the Dance 039585086X
Other Readings
Readings listed in the Schedule (below) will be emailed unless noted otherwise.
Online Editions
Online editions may not replace the required paper editions; however they may be very useful
when researching and writing papers.
Online Glossaries of Poetic Terms
 “Glossary of Poetic Terms.” McGraw Hill Online Learning Center
http://highered.mcgrawhill.com/sites/0072405228/student_view0/poetic_glossary.html
 “Glossary of Poetic Terms.” Poets’ Grave
http://www.poetsgraves.co.uk/glossary_of_poetic_terms.htm
 “All American: Glossary of Literary Terms.”
http://www.uncp.edu/home/canada/work/allam/general/glossary.htm
 “Glossary: Representative Poetry Online.” University of Toronto Libraries
http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/glossary
Online Poetry
 Poets.org http://www.poets.org/index.php
 Poetry Foundation http://www.poetryfoundation.org/
 Representative Poetry Online http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/display/index.cfm
Schedule
ENG200, Spring 2016, Syllabus – January 29, 2016
3
This schedule is subject to changes announced in class. All reading materials are either available
in the assigned texts (when page numbers are provided) or will be provided via email, via listed
web links below, or as photocopies in class.
No.
Date
Reading and Assignments
Unit A: Poetic Meter and the English Poetic Tradition
A-1
1-19
Introduction to ENG200
In class
 Review of the ENG200 syllabus
 Reading and discussion of Oliver Forward, ch 1: Breath (vii-ix) and ch
2: Patterns (3-18)and Keegan Preface and Note (xxxix-xliv)
A-2
1-26
Meter
Read for class
 Oliver, ch 3: More about Patterns (19-28); ch 14: Scansion (87-89)
 Fussell, ch 2: The Technique of Scansion [emailed]
 Oliver: Housman, “Loveliest of Trees” (111); Keats, “A Thing of
Beauty” (114); Stevenson, “Requiem” (116); Shakespeare, from
Macbeth (121); Wordsworth, “The World Is Too Much With Us” (124)
In class
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Discuss assigned reading
Creative Exercises
Funtivity 1: Meter
Workshop on Unit A Paper 1
Unit A Paper 1 draft due
A-3
2-02
Iambic and Non-Iambic Meter
Read for class
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Fenton, ch 8: Mysteries of the Trochee, ch 9: Genius of the Trochee
[emailed]
Fussell, ch 3: Metrical Variations [emailed]
Padgett, Foot [emailed]
Oliver: Longfellow, from The Song of Hiawatha (119); Byron, “The
Sennacherib (125)
Keegan: Marvell, “To His Coy Mistress” (368); Lear, from A Book of
Nonsense (704-05)
ENG200, Spring 2016, Syllabus – January 29, 2016
4
In class
 Discuss assigned reading
 Creative Exercises
 Funtivity 2: Iambic and Non-Iambic Meter
Unit A Paper 1 due
A-4
2-09
Traditional English Meters and Genres
Read for class
 Fussell, ch 4: The Historical Dimension [emailed]
 Padgett, Blank Verse, Eclogue, Elegy, Epic, Lyric, Ode, Pastoral Poem,
Satire, Walk Poem [emailed]
 Keegan: Gray, “Elegy Written in a Country Church Yard” (484); Keats,
“Ode on a Grecian Urn” (637)
In class
 Discuss assigned reading
 Workshop on Unit A Paper 2
Unit A Paper 2 draft due
A-5
2-16
Line
Read for class
 Oliver, ch 4: Design: Line Length; ch 5: Release of Energy Along the
Line (29-39)
 Fenton, ch 10: The Shorter Lines, ch 11: The Iambic Tetrameter, ch 12:
The Longer Lines [emailed]
 Padgett, Line [emailed]
 Keegan: Chapman, [Helen and the Elders] (205), Campion “Now
winter” (220-21), Carey “A Lilliputian Ode” (445-56), Blake from Songs
(538-42), Pitter “But for Lust” (962-63), Larkin “Days” (998)
In class
 Discuss assigned reading
 Creative Exercises
 Funtivity 3: Shorter and Longer Lines
Unit A Paper 2 due
A-6
2-23
Rhyme
Read for class
 Oliver, ch 6: Design: Rhyme (40-49)
 Fenton, ch 17: Rhyme [emailed]
 Padgett, Rhyme [emailed]
 [Review rhyme schemes of previously assigned poems]
ENG200, Spring 2016, Syllabus – January 29, 2016
In class
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5
Discuss assigned reading
Creative Exercises
Funtivity 4: Rhyme
Workshop on Unit A Paper 3 due
Unit A Paper 3 draft due
Unit B: Poetic Form
B-1
3-01
Stanzas
Read for class
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Fussell, ch 7: The English Stanzas [emailed]
Padgett, Couplet, Ottava Rima, Quatrain, Stanza, Tercet, Terza Rima
[emailed]
Keegan: Byron Don Juan (617-619); Shelley “Ode” (642-44); Browning
“My Last” (692-93); Rossetti “What” (762); Larkin “This” (1039)
In class
 Discuss assigned reading
 Creative Exercises
 Funtivity 5: Stanzas
Unit A Paper 3 due
B-2
3-08
The Sonnet
Read for class
 Oliver, ch 7: Design: Traditional Form (50-56)
 Fenton, ch 15: The Sonnet [emailed]
 Fussell, ch 6: Structural Principles: The Example of the Sonnet
[emailed]
 Padgett, Sonnet [emailed]
 Keegan: Spencer “Lyke as” (138-39), Shakespeare #116 (197), Donne
XIV (231-32), Milton “When I” (352), Wordsworth “Earth” (590-91),
Keats, “On First” (606), E.B. Browning “Grief” (698), Yeats “Leda and
the Swan” (885)
In class
 Discuss assigned reading
 Funtivity 6: The Sonnet
3-15
No class meeting - Spring Break
ENG200, Spring 2016, Syllabus – January 29, 2016
B-3
3-22
6
The Ballad
Read for class
 Padgett, Ballad [emailed]
 Keegan: Shakespeare, from Twelfth Night (180), Marvell, “A
Valediction” (227-28), Herbert, “Redemption” (243), Herrick, “To the
Virgins” (294), Burns, “A Red” (544)
In class
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Discuss assigned reading
Creative Exercises
Funtivity 7: The Ballad
Workshop on Annotation Poem
Annotation Poem Proposal due
Unit C: Poetic Language
C-1
3-29
Free Verse
Read for class
 Oliver, ch 10: The Use of Meter in Non-Metric Verse (62-64)
 Fenton, ch 19: Free Verse [emailed]
 Padgett, Free Verse [emailed]
 Strachan and Terry, ch 4.12: Free Verse [emailed]
 Keegan: Hulme, “Autumn” (832), Pound, “In a Station” (833), H.D.
“Oread” (834), Eliot, “Love Song” (847-51), Lawrence, “Medlars”
(879), Thomas, “The force” (909)
In class
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Discuss assigned reading
Workshop on Memorization Poem
Creative Exercises
Funtivity 8: Free Verse
Memorization Poem Proposal due
C-2
4-05
Language Sounds
Read for class
 Oliver, ch 8: Words on a String, ch 9: Mutes and Other Sounds, ch 11:
The Ohs and the Ahs (57-61, 65-66)
 Padgett, Alliteration, Apostrophe, Assonance, Word Play [emailed]
 Strachan and Terry, ch 3: The Sound of Poetry (3.1-3.3) [emailed]
 Keegan: Jonson, “Inviting,” “Gut” (216-17), Herbert, “Love” (249-50),
Clare, “The Badger” (689-90), Hardy, “The Darkling Thrush” (824-25),
Thomas, “Do Not Go” (968-69)
ENG200, Spring 2016, Syllabus – January 29, 2016
7
In class
 Discuss assigned reading
 Workshop on Creation Poem
 Funtivity 9: Language Sounds
Creation Poem Proposal due
C-3
4-12
Language Senses
Read for class
 Oliver, ch 12: Image-Making (67-75)
 Padgett, Metaphor [emailed]
 Strachan and Terry, ch 5: Comparisons and Associations [emailed]
 Keegan: Behn, “Song” (355), Marvell, “Bermudas” (367-68),
Tennyson, “Ulysses” (696-98), Arnold, “Dover Beach” (762-63),
Auden, “Musee” (936)
In class
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Discuss assigned reading
Creative Exercises
Funtivity 10: Language Senses
Workshop on Unit B Paper
Unit B Paper draft due
4-19
Workshops on Poems and Final Exam
Read
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[no reading]
In class
 Workshops on Annotation Poems
 Workshop on Final Exam
Unit B Paper due
4-26
Presentations and Workshops on Poems and Final Exam
Read
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[no reading]
In class
 Workshops on Creation Poems
 Workshop on Final Exam
 Presentations of Annotation Poems
5-03
Presentations and Course Evaluation
ENG200, Spring 2016, Syllabus – January 29, 2016
Read
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8
[no reading]
In class
 Course Evaluation
 Presentations of Memorization and Creation Poems
Annotation, Memorization, and Creation Poems Due
5-10
Final Exam
Read
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[no reading]
In class
 Final Exam
Final Exam
WIU General Policies
In accordance with the WIU Course Syllabus Policy
(www.wiu.edu/policies/syllabus.php), the following information is provided.
Prerequisites/Corequisites
“It is the responsibility of the student to comply with the prerequisites/corequisites for a
course that he/she plans to take. Instructors who place the appropriate information on the
syllabus and emphasize it during the first three class periods may exclude a student from
the class who does not meet the prerequisites/corequisites by sending a note to the student
with a copy to the registrar within the first two weeks of the term.”
Students with Disabilities
“In accordance with University values and disability law, students with disabilities may
request academic accommodations where there are aspects of a course that result in
barriers to inclusion or accurate assessment of achievement. To file an official request for
disability-related accommodations, please contact the Disability Resource Center at 309298-2512, disability@wiu.edu or in 143 Memorial Hall. Please notify the instructor as
soon as possible to ensure that this course is accessible to you in a timely manner.”
Counseling Services
“Confidential counseling services are available for WIU-QC students. Time management,
stress management, balancing work and family, study skills, low self-esteem, relationship
problems, depression, and anxiety are some examples of issues that students may address
in personal counseling. Students may call 309/762-1988 to make an appointment with
Counseling and Career Services.”
Student Rights and Responsibilities
ENG200, Spring 2016, Syllabus – January 29, 2016
9
The web address for student rights and responsibilities is
http://www.wiu.edu/provost/students.php
All General Academic and Student Services at WIU-QC
Please call 309/762-9080 for all general academic & student services assistance.
Policies Specific to Dr. Malachuk’s Courses
These policies establish guidelines for the successful conduct of class meetings and
student completion of course assignments. If you have any questions or concerns about
these policies, please discuss these directly with the instructor.
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Evaluation. All written work is evaluated according to three criteria: (1) clarity
and interest of the thesis and structure, (2) use of evidence to support that thesis,
and (3) clarity and accuracy of the writing. These criteria are always reviewed at
the first class meeting. Please also see the section of the syllabus titled “A Short
Guide to Writing Successful Papers” below. With the exception of assignments
completed at the end of the semester, students will receive written comments on
every assignment stated on the syllabus; these written comments will refer to
these three criteria. Unless announced otherwise in class, assignments completed
during the semester will be returned one week after they were submitted.
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Grades. All of the assignments stated on the syllabus will be awarded a grade,
from F to A, including the + and - grades. To calculate the grade for the course,
each of these assignment grades is first translated into a numeric grade from the
traditional 100 point scale (where F = 0, D- = 62, D = 65, D+ = 68, C- = 72, C =
75, C+ = 78, B- = 82, B = 85, B+ = 88, A- = 92, A = 95, A+ = 100). Each
assignment’s numeric grade is then multiplied by the percentage worth of that
grade: for example, a grade of A (95) on an assignment worth 10% (.1) is 9.5
total, while a grade of C+ (78) on an assignment worth 25% (.25) is 19.5 total.
These totals are added together and then translated back into a final letter grade.
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Lates. Class will start and end as listed on STARS. Once class begins late
students can enter the classroom only during the fifteen-minute break
approximately one hour after the start. Late students attending the second half of
class will receive one-half of an absence.
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Absences. Students who miss more than three class meetings total (including
half-absences for lates) will normally fail the class. Students aware of
unavoidable absences are asked to notify the instructor in advance.
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Deadlines. Unless stated otherwise in class, all assignments are due on the days
listed on the schedule in this syllabus. After the stated deadline, there are no
opportunities for revision for a new grade. Students should draft and revise their
papers and seek feedback from the instructor during office hours.
ENG200, Spring 2016, Syllabus – January 29, 2016 10
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Electronic Devices. So that class meetings are as productive as possible, students
are asked to turn off all electronic devices except for laptops (for notes only) and
e-readers (for course texts only). Phones may be left on buzz; students should
leave the room for emergency calls.
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Email. Students are welcome to email the instructor with questions or concerns
about the course. Emails received during work hours (weekdays, 9-5) will usually
be answered same day. Evening and weekend emails will be answered the next
workday. Students should use their @wiu.edu accounts. For feedback on drafts,
students should approach the instructor in class or during scheduled office hours.

Plagiarism. Students must cite properly all sources that are directly quoted,
paraphrased, or reworded; unless directed otherwise, students should use the
MLA documentation system. For more information on what constitutes
plagiarism and academic integrity generally, please see WIU’s Student Academic
Integrity Policy: http://www.wiu.edu/policies/acintegrity.php
***
A Short Guide to Writing Successful Papers
Dr. Malachuk
When evaluating traditional papers, I consider three criteria: (1) clarity and interest of the thesis
and structure, (2) use of evidence to support that thesis, and (3) clarity and accuracy of the
writing. This guide provides additional information about each of the criterion and introduces the
terminology I tend to use when talking with students about their papers.
1. Thesis and Structure
 The Thesis (or claim, argument). An interesting thesis is one about which reasonable
people can disagree. The thesis should also be provable in the assigned number of
pages for the paper. The thesis should above all be clearly stated; the success of the
paper’s structure depends on it.
 The Thesis Paragraph. The thesis should normally be clearly stated in the first
paragraph, or “thesis paragraph.” That thesis paragraph should also normally suggest to
the reader the organization of the paper: i.e., provide a “blueprint” for the structure of the
paper. For this reason, this paragraph is the most heavily revised throughout the writing
process: the thesis paragraph may come first, but it is often finished last.
 The Body Paragraphs. Each body paragraph should make one “step” in the proof of your
thesis. The step that each paragraph makes should be stated in the first sentence of the
paragraph, or “topic sentence” or “transition sentence.” The topic/transition sentence is
your best opportunity to remind readers where they are in relation to the thesis, and
where they are in the course of the argument.
 The Counter-Argument. Some papers can simply prove a thesis without reference to a
counter-argument, usually because the thesis is so surprising that there is no imaginable
counter-argument. In such cases, it is enough work to articulate and prove this surprising
thesis. Generally, however, students will argue a thesis that is more contentious than
surprising, and in these cases it is helpful to underscore this contentiousness by arguing
not only the thesis but the counter-argument, too. Given its importance to your paper,
that counter-argument should normally be articulated in the thesis paragraph along with
the thesis (as part of the blueprint); one or more of the body paragraphs should be
ENG200, Spring 2016, Syllabus – January 29, 2016 11
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dedicated to elaborating that counter-argument. The counter-argument is an essential
step (or steps) in your argument.
The Paper. One way to test the basic clarity of the thesis and structure in your fully
drafted paper is to read only the thesis paragraph and first sentence of each body
paragraph. The paper is well-structured if you can follow the basic argument of your
paper by reading only these parts of the paper.
2. Use of Evidence
A paper that has an interesting thesis and that is clearly structured will nevertheless be
unsuccessful if it does not also provide evidence to prove that thesis.
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How Much Evidence and in What Form? Consider the Paper’s Length. The length of the
paper can help you to determine how much evidence to provide, and how to provide it.
Certainly each body paragraph normally includes some evidence: that (and moving the
argument forward one step) is the purpose of a body paragraph. In a short paper, the
evidence is usually provided in the form of paraphrase and short quotation. In a longer
paper, there is more room to cite several lines of evidence at a time in indented or “block”
form.
How Much Evidence and in What Form? Establishing Authority through Integration.
Students also need to establish and maintain an authoritative voice throughout their
papers, and the good use of the right amount of evidence is crucial to accomplishing this.
The evidence should never be so much that the student’s voice is lost: this is your paper,
not the authors of the texts under analysis. So students should take care to “integrate”
evidence into their papers. By integration I mean first of all that the evidence is efficiently
cited so as not to disrupt the argumentative voice that you are trying to cultivate. This
may mean making use of brackets and ellipses (i.e., [ ] and …. ) to edit the quotation to fit
into the flow of your own sentences. But, by integration I also mean that the evidence is
persuasively interpreted to support the particular claim you are trying to make.
3. Clarity and Accuracy of the Writing
 Clarity. Clarity is the most important virtue for writers in my classes. Clarity is not the
same as simplicity. Taking into consideration the paper length and the students’ ability to
support that argument with a clear structure and persuasive use of evidence, I will always
encourage students to pursue the most sophisticated, nuanced argument possible. At
the sentence level, clear writing requires making the right vocabulary choices, cleverly
manipulating sentence structure, and using punctuation properly. At the paragraph level,
clear writing requires making use of a consistent vocabulary to develop your thesis and
structure.
 Sentence-level accuracy. The most common reasons students fail to fulfill this criterion
are fragmented sentences, run-on sentences, incorrect punctuation, and poor word
choice.
 Style. Students are encouraged to develop their own style when writing for my classes,
including the use of irony, occasional informality, humor, complex vocabulary, and so
forth. That said, the question “am I being clear?” should always be foremost in your
considerations when writing and revising papers for my classes.
 MLA Formatting and Citation. Students are required to use MLA Formatting and Citation
for all written work. Guidelines are available online.